Church Blog

FROM THE AREA DEAN Leaves on the trees are turning colour, evenings are colder and supermarkets already have mince pies on their shelves. 170 days ago when we entered serious lockdown, Spring was in full swing and in a noise-free, pollution-less world it was possible to hear birdsong. Then came lockdown let-out, summer heat, stay- or go-vacations, travel corridors and a return to school. Which of us, in our wildest imaginings, would have predicted such a year. So many lives totally changed, so much future uncertainty for many, so complex the future scenarios ahead of us. There is an enormous amount on which to reflect, many lessons to be learnt, many good changes to take into the future. One of the changes this month is [...]

FROM THE VICAR I am very glad that when I wrote my first of these columns a year ago, our esteemed editor did not ask me to predict what would happen in my first year as Vicar of Soberton, Newtown and Hambledon – because never, not even in my most bizarre dreams, could I have predicted the past five months! No Vicar should ever want to cancel all church services, or close the church buildings entirely. I did not want to do it, and certainly I did not enjoy doing it. But I do believe that it was the right thing to do, and not just because the church authorities and then the government told us that we had to. The greatest commandments, said Jesus, [...]

FROM THE VICAR Thank you These are perhaps the strangest times that any of us have ever known. Throughout these last few weeks I have been extremely moved by the huge collective effort in which every single one of us has shared in our own way. That might have involved working in a vital role, being furloughed, or doing work or school at home. For all of us, it has involved the sacrifices of not being able to do things and go to places which we normally would – and perhaps most painfully, not being able to be with family and friends as we normally would. But we are rising to the challenges. So many of you are finding ways to support those within our [...]

FROM THE VICAR When I wrote the first draft of this column back at the beginning of March, I used it to reflect on the nature of uncertainty, how we couldn’t be sure what the future might hold. Naturally, I mentioned Covid-19 Coronavirus. I’ve been through several versions of the column since then, as the situation has changed. (Thank you to the editor, who has been very patient and kind in allowing me to re-write this long after the official copy deadline had passed.) It has become clear that Coronavirus is going to have a significant effect on all of our lives, even if we somehow avoid becoming unwell ourselves. Already, plans are having to be altered, and things are beginning to be postponed or [...]

FROM THE VICAR This time of year can feel quite miserable. Christmas is well past, and summer is nowhere near arriving; even Easter eggs are still some way in the future. Bright, crisp winter days may be lovely, but it’s more likely to just be grey and raining. If your New Year’s Resolution has survived until now, then congratulations – but we all know that you are probably in the minority, and that most of us might be feeling like we have failed. Motivation and energy can be difficult to summon. Since you all know that it’s the Vicar writing this column, then you might now be expecting me to say something about how ‘all this can change if you just let Jesus into your [...]

‘From the Vicar’  For many of us, Christmas is a time to celebrate. An extended holiday period, with more food and drink than we would consider sensible at any other time of year. There are gifts and decorations. Wonderful community events. Getting together with family and friends. Plenty of church services (I look forward to welcoming many of you!), and some of the most well-known songs to join in with – both traditional and ‘pop’. And jolly good things all these are. In his own words, the coming of Jesus into our world was so that through him we can enjoy “life in all its fullness” (John 10.10). The celebration of his birth is certainly a fine reason for a feast. There are also plenty [...]